Burn Notice Season 5 Episode 5

Michael: (voice-over) In certain neighborhoods, posing as a dirty cop is a great way to confiscate information. It gives you the authority that comes with a badge and invokes the fear that comes with being a criminal.

Ethan: (about the stakeout) In Afghanistan, things were a lot simpler, you know? You get your orders, you get your bullets, take your shot.
Michael: Who do you think gets the intel to tell you where to point your rifle and take that shot? A spy sitting in a car all day.

Michael: Am I a suspect?
Pearce: To be honest, when I heard a burned spy was mixed up with Max, my first instinct was to fit you for a head bag.
Michael: I appreciate your restraint.

Michael: (voice-over) A soldier on a battlefield would never dream of intentionally putting a dangerous weapon in the hands of an enemy. But as a spy, sometimes the only way to solve a problem is trusting a bad guy to do what comes naturally. And if you help with the plan, you know exactly how to make them fail.

Michael: (voice-over) For a spy, revenge is a dish that is rarely served at all. The mission and objectives always take priority over personal satisfaction. But if conning a scam artist into burning everything he's worked his whole life to build serves that mission, it's hard not to take a little joy watching it all go up in flames.

Michael: (voice-over) Protecting a target form a bullet sometimes means taking a few shots at them yourself. A near miss puts the target on their guard and keeps the real gunman at bay. But you can never predict how someone is going to react to a bullet whizzing by their head.

Michael: (voice-over) When bugging a watch, it's better to use a good-looking knock-off than it's authentic counterpart; and not just because it's easier on your wallet. The insides of a fake time piece are usually smaller and simpler, leaving more room to hide a listening device. As long as your target isn't a watch connoisseur, zinc alloy and cubic zirconia are a great way of saying "let's be friends".

Michael: (voice-over) Jealousy is a delicate emotion. Show someone what they can't have and they'll just resent you. Give it to them too easy and they won't appreciate it. The key is allowing them just enough of a taste so all they want is more.

Michael: (voice-over) People tend to think spies are motivated by love of the game, desire for adventure or patriotic further. The truth though, is that you don't choose a life as a covert operative unless something deeper is going on beneath the surface. Something more personal, something harder to explain and something a lot more painful.

Michael: (voice-over) Whether you're kidnapping a ruthless dictator in a foreign country or snatching an abusive boyfriend off the street, it's best not to leave a mess behind. Using your target's own car as a getaway vehicle keeps neighbors from asking about the missing owner. Plus you don't have to pay for gas.

Michael: (voice-over) Whether you are operating out of a war room in Langley or commandeering a hotel in South Beach, all CIA investigations work the same. Because analysts are tied directly into federal and local databases they have information at their fingertips. What they don't have is a magic button that tells them what is a real lead and what is a dead-end. That takes boots on the ground, eyeballs on the screen and lots and lots of coffee.